frangible

/ˈfɹæn(d)ʒɪb(ə)l/

//ˈfɹæn(d)ʒɪb(ə)l// adj

"frangible" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“frangible” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Able to be broken; breakable, fragile.

Corpus desk

Index EN-frangible · frangible · English

frangible · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "F" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for frangible
PropertyValue
Headwordfrangible
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈfɹæn(d)ʒɪb(ə)l/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “frangible” in English

frangiblesits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

frangible is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈfɹæn(d)ʒɪb(ə)l/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Able to be broken; breakable, fragile.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for frangible, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English frangible, frangibil, from Middle French frangible, or from Medieval Latin frangibilis, from Latin frangere (from frangō (“to break, shatter”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”)) + -ibilis (suffix forming adjectives indi… The correct English form is frangible, spelled F-R-A-N-G-I-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Able to be broken; breakable, fragile.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how frangible appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. A certain learned and curious Author gives us the following Characters or Properties of Glaſs, whereby it is diſtinguiſh'd from all other Bodies, viz. […] That it is frangible when thin, without annealing.
  2. Another object still [of roasting iron ore], is to make the ore more frangible, that it may be easily broken into fragments of a suitable size for smelting.

Etymology

From Late Middle English frangible, frangibil, from Middle French frangible, or from Medieval Latin frangibilis, from Latin frangere (from frangō (“to break, shatter”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”)) + -ibilis (suffix forming adjectives indicating a capacity or worth of being acted upon).

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "frangible"?
"frangible" is spelled F-R-A-N-G-I-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɹæn(d)ʒɪb(ə)l/.
What does "frangible" mean?
As an adjective, "frangible" means: Able to be broken; breakable, fragile.
How do you pronounce "frangible"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "frangible" is /ˈfɹæn(d)ʒɪb(ə)l/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "frangible"?
From Late Middle English frangible, frangibil, from Middle French frangible, or from Medieval Latin frangibilis, from Latin frangere (from frangō (“to break, shatter”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”)) + -ibilis (suffix forming adjec... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list